

Over 20 million podcasts, powered by
Hosts Jared and John discuss the frustrations of a learner who came to John for help, particularly with pinyin and differentiation of similar sounds in Chinese. They explore why learners often misapply English pronunciation rules to pinyin and how comprehensible input can ease the learning curve. This episode is not just a deep dive into the phonetic and perceptual aspects of learning Chinese; it's also a heartening reminder that while the journey to fluency can be fraught with frustration, tailored strategies and persistent effort can lead to meaningful progress.
Links from the episode:
Character Play in Chinese | Sinosplice
Send us a message | Mandarin Companion feedback form
159 episodes
Hosts Jared and John discuss the frustrations of a learner who came to John for help, particularly with pinyin and differentiation of similar sounds in Chinese. They explore why learners often misapply English pronunciation rules to pinyin and how comprehensible input can ease the learning curve. This episode is not just a deep dive into the phonetic and perceptual aspects of learning Chinese; it's also a heartening reminder that while the journey to fluency can be fraught with frustration, tailored strategies and persistent effort can lead to meaningful progress.
Links from the episode:
Character Play in Chinese | Sinosplice
Send us a message | Mandarin Companion feedback form
159 episodes
Player FM is scanning the web for high-quality podcasts for you to enjoy right now. It's the best podcast app and works on Android, iPhone, and the web. Signup to sync subscriptions across devices.